Educational Material

Our School, because of its constant involvement in teaching Greek as a foreign language, is also occupied with the production of educational material in printed form, in the form of educational software (multimedia cd, suitable for self-teaching) and in the Internet as well.
This is educational material related to General Greek (with basic and supplementary resorts) and Greek for specific purposes too (with emphasis on specific parts of the language), and has been created through collaborations with Universities, Classical High Schools and other Educational Organizations, in the context of European Programmes.
The software applications (in cd and internet) are developed by the company ELEA Ltd.

a) General Greek

Travel to Greece I (level A1 – A2)

The idea of a journey through time and space consists the base of this book. The
teaching of Greek is actualized through the rich mythology and history of Greece, while, at the same time, emphasis is placed on the necessary communicational situations and grammatical phenomena.
Moreover, songs, word games, texts that talk about civilization, the past and present are some of its basic features.

Travel to Greece II (level B1 – B2)

The journey continues in twenty four Greek cities, which were chosen mostly based on their name, as part of an alphabet game, but also based on further characteristics that will interest foreign students (Athens, Veria, Gythio, Delphi, Epidavros, Zakynthos etc.).

Information about these cities, myths, stories and songs are intertwined with grammar, exercises, vocabulary and communicational situations that students of this level should be familiar with.
Our main goal is to develop the students’ speaking skills and bring them in touch with the culture and mentality of native Greek speakers. We believe that it is impossible to know a language without learning a few things about the way of thinking and the lifestyle of its native speakers.

Travel to Greece III (level C1 – C2)

A journey in cities throughout the world, where the Greek element used to exist, or still exists, cities which welcomed Greek immigrants and became centers for the Greek diaspora or were, at some point, Greek settlements. This is “Travel to Greece III”, in which cultural images and historical facts are combined with useful communicational situations, with complex grammatical phenomena and with a more demanding vocabulary.“Travel to Greece III” has been designed for advanced students of the Greek language (C1 – C2 level) and it includes cities, countries, continents, as well as famous Greek characteristics, based on the Greek alphabet. The book begins with Alexandria (Αλεξάνδρεια) and ends with Oceania (Ωκεανία), while chapters such as The sea and Entertainment are interjected, in order to familiarize students and help them incorporate in the cultural reality of the native speakers.

You speak Greek already

The colloquial words – mostly of Greek origin – that can be found in many languages and the habit of many teachers to use them during the first lessons with a
beginners class as a motivation for their students, was what became the basis for “You speak Greek already”. Our main goal was to systematize this method, by turning it into a pleasant, interesting and creative educational manual. Consequently, we have gathered “colloquial” words, divided them according to topics, located relevant authentic texts, worked out which the necessary grammatical phenomena would be and created exercises and activities that promote a successful result in learning the language.

“You speak Greek already” is a book for beginner students, who wish to learn Modern Greek, starting with the alphabet, everyday greetings, introductions and simple dialogues and reaching to small discussions in order to satisfy their basic social needs. A common element in all these cases has been the maximum consolidation of common Greek words and their combination with the basic communicational and grammatical structures of the beginner’s level.

b) Supplementary Material

I sing in Greek

Keeping in mind that a song can be an object of various activities and a driving force in learning a language –modern Greek in this case – we should not forget that there is an abundance of songs which present the history and mentality of the Greek people as well as their stand on different events. This is the reason why we have developed an educational material based on songs. The songs we have used are familiar to everyone and they can function not only as an aid in teaching grammatical and syntactical phenomena, but also as a source of information about how the Greek people think and what their life and mentality is like.

“I sing in Greek” is a modern supplementary educational material, aimed at students of intermediate level (B1 – B2). It includes 52 songs of various categories (traditional, Cretan, wedding songs, social, of islands, rebetika etc), texts with folklore or historical elements of the songs, with their composers or lyric-writers, with the musical instruments that accompany them etc, and, at the same time, with an appropriate vocabulary and grammar for the students’ level. Our main target is to promote an easier, more efficient and pleasantteaching and usage of the Greek language through the rich music production of our country.

A passage from Ancient to Modern Greek

Ancient Greek is, without a doubt, a language – vehicle of culture with a highly esteemed presence in Classical Studies, which is why it is still taught in many schools and universities all around the world. Annually, the Hellenic Language School “Alexander the Great” has many students that have studied Ancient Greek (students or graduates of classical schools). At the same time, the School collaborates with many European classical schools, either directly, or through the Organization for the Internationalisation of Greek Language and EUROCLASSICA, in order to aid students who already know Ancient Greek learn Modern Greek.

“A passage from Ancient to Modern Greek” is aimed at students and alumni of classical schools and also at anyone who is interested, abroad and in Greece as well, in learning Modern Greek and already has some basic knowledge of the ancient language. The book focuses on teaching grammatical phenomena and vocabulary of Modern Greek, which is approached in comparison to Ancient Greek, while it also includes many exercises to practice and revise. The texts chosen for each unit gradually advance, as much as possible, from the ancient to the byzantine and modern Greek times, so as todemonstrate the unity of the language through the centuries.

c) Greek for specific purposes

Touristic Greek (level A1 – A2)

This material is currently under review.

“Touristic Greek” is an educational material that can help students face specific
communicational situations. It includes simple grammatical and syntactical structures for a specific, tourism–related context (hotel, restaurant, tourist police etc), as well as the necessary vocabulary that can facilitate communication.

Business Greek (level B1 – B2)

In general. Knowing the Greek language for specific-professional reasons is imperative to all foreigners intending to work in Greek businesses, either in Greece or abroad. Their integration in Greek society and the job market and the achievement of basic language structures and specific terminology were the main reasons “Business Greek” was created. It should also be noted that the Greek Language Center has established specific exams for Business Greek.

“Business Greek” is aimed at students of an intermediate level (B1 – B2) and it develops their language skills in various contexts, such as a visit to a bank and various transactions, the office environment and e-commerce, making exchange and reading financial newspapers etc. The book’s main priority is to provide students with an extensive list of specific, business-related communication situations, focusing especially on the necessary vocabulary and the required grammatical and syntactical structures that constitute these situations.

Scientific Greek

The new multicultural conditions in Greece, as more and more foreign employees arrive, have created new needs and perspectives in teaching the Greek language. Therefore, a double orientation is necessary: learning the language to sufficiently rise to everyday communicational needs and also to be able to deal with more specialized circumstances in various work places.

d) Other Educational Material

Pos matome Griko

Griko is a minority language, spoken until today in one of the two Greek lingual zones of South Italy, in the wider area of Salentian Greece, in south Apulia. Griko includes Dorian words, which indicate its ancient origin, mediaeval and modern Greek ones, as well as words from the local Italian dialect, called Dialetto Romanzo.

Nowadays, Griko is taught in primary and secondary schools of these areas, but
it is in danger of extinction because of financial and cultural reasons. Through the
programme “Pos matome Griko” we aim to preserve and protect it, as a valuable element of the Mediterranean Cultural Heritage. We have been developing, therefore, a specific teaching method that includes anAnalytical Programme for all levels, for both children and adults, two educational teaching manuals, one for children and one for adults, a web page and an e-learning platform that will provide users with a free access to all the material and relevant information.

The present educational material is currently under development. For more information, please visit the web page: www.e-griko.eu